Have the Great Lakes ever had sharks?

While there have been past “sightings,” most have turned out to be pranks or misidentifications. The reality is that the largest of the Great Lakes (Lake Superior and Michigan) are extremely deep lakes that are too cold for sharks.



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Two Coho fishermen pulled a 29-inch shark from Lake Michigan about two miles off the Milwaukee shore on April 25, 1969. The shark was dead, but for several days fishermen in the area were uneasy.

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Alligators are rarely found in the Great Lakes. Although some alligators thrive in freshwater, it's just too cold in the north for them to survive. They don't typically live farther north than North Carolina. It's unclear how the alligator arrived to Lake Michigan.

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Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake containing oceanic animal life, including sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. More than 40 rivers drain into the lake, the largest being the Tipitapa River.

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Lake sturgeons are the biggest fish in the Great Lakes.

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Unlike most sharks, bull sharks can survive in freshwater for long periods of time. They have even been found in the Mississippi and Amazon Rivers. They prefer shallow coastal water, which means they can often come into contact with humans.

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The World's Most Shark-Infested Beaches
  • New Smyrna Beach, Florida. West Coast Scapes/Shutterstock. ...
  • Makena Beach, Maui. Billy McDonald/Shutterstock. ...
  • Bolinas, California. cdrin/Shutterstock. ...
  • Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua. ...
  • West End, Grand Bahamas. ...
  • Umhlanga Rocks, South Africa. ...
  • Coffin Bay, Australia. ...
  • Topsail Island, North Carolina.


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1. Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua. Bull sharks travel to Lake Nicaragua by jumping a series of rapids. Bull sharks travel up the San Juan River to Lake Nicaragua and sometimes spend years in the lake before returning to the Caribbean Ocean.

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These lakes are the perfect backdrop for swimming, boating, and other water-related activities. But there can be more danger in these Great Lakes waves than what you'd find in the ocean. The Great Lakes are more than capable of generating waves over 10 feet high, despite being smaller than our oceans.

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The most dangerous predator in the Great Lakes is the sea lamprey, which was actually introduced as an invasive species. Primarily, it goes after a sports fish called the lake trout, often wounding them as they kill them off. It is also attracted to the blood and bodily fluids of any creature.

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